When are the beef ribs done?

[-Chris-]

Christmas eve dinner voted by my kids was pork ribs. I threw a rack of beef ribs on for Daddy.

I cooked the 3 bone rack for 5.5 hours on my Yoder at 275. I started spritzing with water/Worcestershire sauce at the 4 hour mark. I also had a water pan in the smoker. It was in the 50s and humid.

I went for a "quick" drink at a buddy's house and when I came home at the 5.5 hour mark, they appeared to "probe like butter" and were anywhere from 209-220 degrees internal temp. I panicked, pulled them off, and tented them with foil for 30-45 minutes while we prepared everything else.

When served, the bottom/edges were crusty as expected as I cooked on the lower rack of the Yoder. The meat was delicious and moist, but there was still visable fat. Some of it was pull-apart tender like I expect with a short rib, but some was still not fully rendered!

I watched Franklins video and he swears up and down that he cooks naked and just spritz at 285 degrees for 6 hours or so.

Franklin stopped by Muellers BBQ and I saw that they wrapped their beef ribs in plastic wrap!

What do you guys do to get super mushy beef ribs with little visible fat? Do I just need to cook a little longer? Do I need to wrap in foil? I could steam, but that would ruin the bark.

I have made beef rib pastrami a bunch of times and the steaming phase at the end always takes care of tenderness for me.

Thanks
Chris

 

[shares]

I'm not shooting for mushy ribs. Just foil them for hours if you want mush. And if the fat is thick enough to trim off then do so - make it go away. Having said that I cook beef ribs at just under 300 - 4 hours for back, and 6 hours for belly. It's the only thing that cooks by time and temp, and it works perfectly every time. I don't usually divulge this information because nobody listens - but they sure do eat!

 

[keeperofsecrets]

I've had luck with using the 3-2-1 method and wrapping in butcher paper. My pit temp is in the 225 to 250 range, and I only spritz at the wrap stage with whatever lager is at hand.

 

[Inthewoods]

I like my beef ribs just the way ya cooked them. I buy choice or select so I'm familiar with the non-rendered fat yet worried about...I wouldn't worry about. If I was I would braise them all day....one day maybe, but not any day soon.

-D

 

[-Chris-]

I've had luck with using the 3-2-1 method and wrapping in butcher paper. My pit temp is in the 225 to 250 range, and I only spritz at the wrap stage with whatever lager is at hand.

These were choice. They were trimmed really well from the butcher so I just rubbed and tossed them on the pit. The outside fat rendered perfectly down, it was the fat inside that will still there.

I considered wrapping, but the silly ribs were 5" thick as they retracted from the bones. I also wanted to see if I could get them done upwrapped.

D:
I am not worried about the fat, I just don't like the texture. I like shortribs when they just fall apart.

I have another rack, maybe I will try wrapping with some liquid to braise them a bit.

Please keep the ideas coming!

Chris

 

[Peteg]

Some of them just have a bunch of fat and it’s about impossible to render all of it. I cook them to the tenderness that I like and sometimes there’s fat that doesn’t render. Just the way it goes. You can fix some of it with trimming though.

 

[Hoss]

I have better luck going 6-8 hours on beef ribs.I do not like greasy ribs.

 

[ruger35]

I didn’t wrap beef ribs. Like another poster said, sometimes you’re just going to have extremely fatty ribs and you won’t get all the fat rendered. Maybe if you did like a restaurant and had extended hold times you could.

 

[-Chris-]

I didn’t wrap beef ribs. Like another poster said, sometimes you’re just going to have extremely fatty ribs and you won’t get all the fat rendered. Maybe if you did like a restaurant and had extended hold times you could.

I have a CVAP, maybe I need to leave them in there for a few hours? I didn't really think about that.

Chris